NEW DELHI: The Union government approved on Wednesday a ₹5,718 crore centrally sponsored scheme to improve educational outcomes with help from the World Bank in six states and announced that a similar program will be implemented in five other states.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar in a cabinet briefing said the plan aims to ensure that learning is based on understanding a topic. He also said that language learning will be in the spotlight until the third standard and the way exams are designed and conducted will be reformed.
That students achieve language proficiency and an improvement in the high school completion rate are among the goals of the plan.
“There will be a separate evaluation board or institution that will go into effect. The program is supported by the World Bank. The central government with the help of the World Bank will give (approximately) ₹3,700 crore and (approximately) ₹2 billion rupees will come from the states, “the minister said.
The Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Outcomes for States (STARS) project is supported by $ 500 million from the World Bank. The plan covers Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha, Javadekar said.
“A similar program will be implemented with the cooperation of the ADB in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Assam and Tamil Nadu. This is an important milestone at the beginning of the new education policy,” the minister said.
It seeks to help states improve education and better “labor market outcomes.”
The STARS program builds on the long-standing partnership between India and the World Bank, since 1994, to strengthen education in public schools and support the country’s goal of providing education for all, Mint reported June 28, when the board The World Bank approved assistance for the plan.
The Union cabinet also gave authorization in principle to the spin-off of Nagarnar Steel Plant (NSP) from National Minerals Development Corporation (NMDC) Ltd. and its strategic divestment. NSP is a 3 million tonnes a year steel plant being established by NMDC at Nagarnar in Chhattisgarh at a cost of Rs 23,140 crore, according to a government statement.
The cabinet also approved a plan to improve the commercial viability of the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd.’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves.
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